Old Faces in Odd Places
This has been my week for catching up with old friends.

First my friend M who I never see because, well, I live in California and she lives in Saudi Arabia. But she's back for the summer with husband and two kids and she had some free time and randomly came by the shelter. I'm walking across the lobby on my way to the nursery and who should I see but someone I thought was on the other side of the map. Completely surprising and so wonderful. We've kept in touch via e-mail and Christmas cards but I haven't seen her face-to-face in probably 10 years. And there she was.

Then today Husband and I were having breakfast in our favorite local diner and two old friends walk in. I was great friends with M & R when I was married to my first husband. The four of us traveled together and spent endless hours eating good food and playing cribbage. But we drifted apart and today for the first time in about 12 years I saw them again.

Running into old friends is weird. We're of the age when we don't change that much. None of my friends look any different than they did 10 years ago. Maybe one or two more wrinkles. Maybe a bit more gray hair. But seeing them again after so many years was interesting because I recognized all of them immediately. No "they look familiar" no "where do I know that face from?" It was an instant recognition and a delicious gift from the universe.